Doubt & Trust
by Lulu-Prints
Summary: A story set in Harry Potter's time at school, involving characters from Code Geass. A battle of doubt & trust within the family and the society; will Lelouch emerge victorious in his battle to save his loved ones, or will he lose himself amidst it all?
1. Chapter 0 : The Prologue

**Chapter 0 : The Prologue**

**Disclaimer : **I do not own Harry Potter & Code Geass, but for the sake of the story, I've changed some of the character's family names.. (vi. Britannia is no doubt the name of a royalty) I hope that does not affect much of everything for readers! Their appearances will remain the same, and while I'll try to stick to the time line of Harry Potter, I can't guarantee I wouldn't make mistakes..

**Note to all : **Just to let you know, I've removed the introduction and added this new Prologue in front of the 'Introduction' I previously posted, so it'll help if you can erase the previous introduction from your mind XD. Big thanks to Kiroshinoke for pointing out my language and other errors, and many, many thank-yous to everyone who has reviewed my chapter! So here's the Prologue, please enjoy! Reviews are greatly appreciated (:

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**17th August 1982 ; 6:39 p.m.**

The air within the overused public bathroom was stale, a mixture of scents stirred only by the lonely fan hanging on the wall. The chatter in the pub outside drifted in at an irregular pacing, accompanied by the loud 'bang's issued from the doors as they swung shut after every use. It was an ordinary workday evening, and the pub was filled with its regular customers; Tired men seeking refuge way from the daily stress and workload, others seeking all sorts of opportunities among the mass of people..

The public bathroom was, as usual, left deserted until in times of need.. When suddenly, a dull 'thud' was issued from the innermost cubicle, the one furthest away from the ceiling light, such that minimal amount of illumination reached the shielded space. The familiar sinking flush of water followed, also accompanied by the softest cussing, easily missable over all the noise around the toilet.

"God, damn, not my coat again.."

The door to that cubicle swung open suddenly to reveal an average-sized, but well-built man stepping out hastily, one hand holding his winter trench coat up as his other hand gripped tightly on an oaken walking stick. In a flutter of fabric, the man released his coat and glided swiftly towards the basins, still grasping his walking stick tightly as though his life depended on it. As the man reached out slowly to run his free hand under the leaking tap without as much as releasing his grip on his walking stink, he raised his eyes to the single mirror hanging before his eyes, and a familiar sound of an airy sigh escaped his lips before he managed to blink the vision away with a turn of his head.

He didn't need the mirror to tell him that he was getting old, old, older with every passing minute, for he could feel it with every breath he took, every step he made, every sigh he managed. Nor did he needed the mirror to show him his dead and lifeless his ash-blonde hair, how pale and crumpled his forehead had stayed for the past few years, how his short but spread moustache gave him the profile of an infirm, retiring lion, really. Furthermore, he didn't need to see how dull his lilac irises had became; Once, they were the things that always attracted the spotlight of attention onto himself.. Now, with the deadening shade of dull amethyst they possess, he knew that no one really bothered about looking into his eyes anymore.

Charles McQuillen was barely over forty in years, and yet he felt almost as though he was sixty; His looks, no doubt, only pushed himself to believe that his suspicions were true - He, of all people, was aging faster than normal, more so physically than every other areas.

Blinking slowly as he studied the rough tiles on the floor in contemplation, Charles slowly lifted his eyes to the level of the tainted mirror, almost looking away as he found himself reflected in them again. Work and family were the only two things which could take his mind off his deteriorating appearance, and it were the times when he was unoccupied that made him think of the worse. His appearance was a constant reminder for him of his past, and God knows how Charles had spent years avoiding the people from his past. However, how long more could he manage this facade in font of everyone else? More so, in front of his lovely wife, and his intelligent and fast-developing son? Each glance he took into a reflective surface was a torture; He didn't just have to face himself- He, too, had to face his fears of looking into his past, his enemies, his..

There was a sudden flash of gold from behind him, mercifully captured by the mirror. It caught at the threads of Charles' attention almost immediately, disturbing his original train of thoughts - But, as expected, it disappeared as quickly as it came. Before Charles could properly focus on the swing of honey-blonde long hair, it had disappeared, once again leaving the aged man supposedly alone in the bathroom.

That was almost impossible; There was nothing behind him except the patch of crimson bricked wall. Since that flash of gold had just disappeared into the wall, it must have been a ghost or a spirit of some sort, and that ghost-like thing must have had impossibly long golden hair that could trace the floor, because.. No, it can't be, Charles told himself firmly as he lifted his eyes off the corner of the mirror he had been scrutinising. He must not allow himself to be frightened into his previous ways again. His family's safety and future depended on him.

An almost drunk man chose this moment to stumble into the bathroom, reeking strongly of an unnamed alcohol that made Charles' eyes water. Deciding that he had spent enough time worrying about things he shouldn't be worrying about, Charles gathered his thoughts and his lonely walking stick, and hastily made his way out of the bathroom before the man had the chance to vomit all over him.

* * *

**17th August 1982 ; 6:53 p.m.**

Outside of the pub, out on the streets of a busy city district, London looked like it had always been for the numerous years he had spent here, Charles noted with a slight twinge of relief in his dull, amethyst eyes. Summer had came and gone, leaving a ghastly crimson-shaded destruction in its wake, and Autumn to reminisce the loss of its vibrant and liveliness. Soon enough, Autumn would abandon them as well, leaving place for the dreaded winter, along with its magical white and snow - Seasons do change, and yet, the changes in seasons were much unwanted as each season can be.

Charles hated the finally seasons - Autumn and Winter. It was these two seasons that always brought his mind back to the many memories he had stored about his school days, and as much as he would like to erase them.. Charles knew that they were a part of him now, and he was doomed to remember everything that he had done when he was younger.

Besides, the skies were steadily darkening in the distance, and Charles knew he should get going soon. Nothing was ever safe after darkness fell.

Putting that aside; Walking stick tapping the pavements quietly in a fixed rhythm as he made his way towards the outskirts of the city, Charles eyed the passer-bys with much interest.. And doubt in his eyes. In his world, no one could be trusted by their appearances, let alone by who they really were inside. The old man begging for money by the side of the pavement could actually be a millionaire looking for things to do in his free time, while the woman in that shop window on the other side of the road might actually be a man in disguise.. Poising to strike, preparing to launch an attack at.. A cynical laugh tugging at the corners of his cracking lips, Charles shook his head, and continued down the pavement. Indeed, nothing could be trusted in his world.

His destination should have been the cluster of expensive mansions that resides just on the outskirts of the london city, where all the rich men had gathered to form a closely-knitted community among themselves. It was a place him and his wife had handpicked out, out of all the choices available to them, that they had chose to live in. Rich people from London had a tendency to be ignorant about their surroundings, which in turn created the ideal environment Charles and his family could live in without appearing to be too conspicuous.

However, as Charles continued down the pavement, he made a sharp right turn that he wasn't supposed to make, and heading straight into..

_The neighbourhood graveyard_, Charles considered grimly.

* * *

**17th August 1982 ; 7:25 p.m.**

V.V. shook his head slowly as he drifted down the pavement, his long lashes waving up and down elegantly as he locked his bloodshot eyes on the towering figure of an aged man just a good distance ahead of him. He had been waiting for this opportunity to strike since many years ago, even more so now that he had just lost something so dear to himself, and Charles had always managed to thwart his plans before he could accomplish anything. This time, he would be sure to catch Charles when the man could still _breathe_, so that he wouldn't run away again..

Watching as the figure down the road made a sudden, unexpected turn to the right, V.V. cussed under his breath as he followed on, trying to catch up without attracting unnecessary attention to himself. Sure, even though he had taken care to disguise himself earlier, that cursed Charles might still be able to recognise him - V.V. doubt he would ever be able to part with his long, honey-blonde hair, which was a great flaw in every single of his disguises. Smirking at his own thoughts as he passed the gates to the graveyard silently, V.V. scanned his new surroundings with bored, crimson irises.. And jumped when he realised that Charles was no longer in sight.

_No rush, no rush_, the blonde urged himself, but a known flush of emotions to his head told him that he was angered, and fuming furious, while he was at that. Somehow, his previous calm and patience were driven out of his head already - He couldn't afford to lose Charles again, not when his Lord had fallen, not when his mates had all scattered and escaped, each of them claiming to have no previous connection with his Lord, not when he himself was risking his life by blatantly walking out on the streets like that.

Gliding deeper into the graveyard, V.V. squinted his eyes as his sensitive nose picked up the disgusting smell of dirt and the dead, his whole body aching to leave this dreaded place.. When another familiar scent caught at his senses. _Ah, so you're here, Charles, my friend.. _Smirking once more, V.V. stopped on the spot below an old oaken tree, and waited..

"Vicky!"

A dull 'thud' sounding from behind the honey-blonde confirmed his suspicions - Firstly, Charles had indeed been hiding himself up on a tree, and secondly, Charles still has no suspicions over his identity, for the other boy was still referring to himself as 'Vicky'. Wheeling around with a tiny triumphed smile spreading across his child-like face, V.V. turned to face his best friend since his school time, flashing him a wide smile while keeping his lips pursed tightly together. It had almost made him look and feel too.. Silly.

"Hey there, Charles!"

* * *

**17th August 1982 ; 7:32 p.m.**

Charles found it a little hard to believe his luck, not that he would choose to believe otherwise right now.

He had only vaguely realised that he was being tailed ever since he had left the pub back in London, and after walking alone in silence, his suspicious were confirmed - The person was indeed tracking _him_, and that the person was most probably an enemy, because Charles found that he couldn't detect the other's thoughts. All he could hear was a dull buzz, and an unintelligent murmur of words that revealed nothing of importance to him. The turn made into the graveyard had been necessary - Charles didn't want to lead his tracker right to the doorsteps of his family.

However, now that he was staring into the face of his school time best mate, Victorio, Charles easily let his guard down, and approached the supposedly older boy with ease. Afterall, there was no reason for him to be afraid of Victorio, of Vicky - The other boy wasn't among the group of followers..

"Wow, Vicky, I didn't expect you to be the one tailing me.."

"I know, Charles. It's rough times now, and it's only natural for people to be suspicious and doubtful."

"Indeed. I was expecting Lucius when I saw the flash of honey-blonde hair at the- Was it you in the pub as well?"

"Lucius? Oh, no, he wouldn't dare.. Of course, who else could it be?"

"I know it sounds silly, Vicky, but there's so many people I have to be guarded about-"

"Of course, of course. What with the recent departure of _our master_.. What with_ our_ old friends running loose without restrains, eh?"

"Vicky.. What.. Are you talking about?" Victorio's tone was starting to creep him out. Hesitantly, Charles took a step back, his eyes glancing away from Victorio's face for once since the whole time they were talking. That second of hesitation was all V.V. needed - When Charles' eyes were back onto his best friend from behind, he almost jumped away to find a clean, elegantly styled twig-like object pointing into his chest, to find Victorio to be the one directing the stick at his heart. However, he was rooted on the spot, for he knew that he wouldn't have enough time to run.

This was exactly what he had always dreaded about, only.. Why does it have to be Victorio..

"Vicky- What's this abo-"

"I don't think you haven't seen this coming, Charles. Not after the Dark Lord had gone missing. And oh, you should refer to me as 'V.V.' now, Charles. The Victorio you once knew no longer exist."

Silence fell shortly after that; Charles knew that there was no way he could just walk out of this mess. Praying hard that Vicky - V.V. was only here for him, and not his family, Charles was forced deeper into the graveyard by V.V. ..


	2. Chapter 1 : Brewing Storm

**Chapter 1 : Brewing storm**

**Disclaimer : **I do not own Harry Potter & Code Geass, but for the sake of the story, I've changed some of the character's family names.. (vi. Britannia is no doubt the name of a royalty) I hope that does not affect much of everything for readers! Their appearances will remain the same, and while I'll try to stick to the time line of Harry Potter, I can't guarantee I wouldn't make mistakes..

**Note to all :** Pardon me if the story makes no sense now, I _hope_ everything will be cleared up in the next few chapters! I've updated the chapter abit, corrected my mistakes and stuff. Please enjoy (:

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Lelouch froze at the top of the grand staircase leading into the great hall, his purple eyes wide with shock as his trembling form stood rooted on the spot with fear, shock, and horror. Looking down at the steadily growing pool of crimson blood flooding the great hall, he shook his head once, then twice, stiffly; His eyes were unable to close as he took in the scene before him, and the 9-year old raised his hands to his head before letting out a ear-piercing scream.

"No...!"

**5th December 1989 ; 10:27 a.m.**

"Lelouch," Marianne called out cheerfully. "Help yourself to this basket of cherries, will you? But careful with them, we can hardly get them air-flown here anymore," the smiling lady added gently, although she knew it wasn't neccesary at all with Lelouch in the equation.

Lelouch looked at his mother, Marianne, and gave her a quick nod with a smile. Picking himself up from the grass he was sitting on, Lelouch strolled towards Marianne, his arms outstretched as he walked into her embrace.

"I'd much rather watch you eat them, Mother," Lelouch replied with a wink, looking straight up at Marianne. Just then, he heard the slightest giggle from behind his mother, and he couldn't help but chuckled along as he finally noticed a shower of hazel hair from behind Marianne, who had dark hair with similar curls.

"Here, Nunnally dear, I've already saw you," Lelouch laughed as he stretched out his hand, trying to catch his sister. Nunnally exploded into innocent giggles and child-like exclamations as she tried to evade his long arms, but failed while she was laughing too much. He caught Nunnally's hand and pulled her out from her hiding spot with ease; she was underweight, much like he was.

As Lelouch fell back onto the soft grass and guided the tiny girl in his hand to land onto him, Nunnally giggled on and soon, the both of them were rolling about on the grass. Marianne watched her children and smiled, love twinkling in her eyes; they were her priceless babies..

"Lady Marianne!" A guard called out in a distance, unable to contain his emotions till he'd crossed the grass patch. Lelouch and Nunnally stopped their attempts at wrestling at once, Nunnally lying on top of Lelouch, both of them turning to stare at the guard who had disturbed them. Marianne stood up abruptly, dropping her basket of cherries as she ran up to meet the guard. She stopped as he did; a mere distance away, and they begin a conversation in urgent whispers, both of them glancing around urgently as they spoke. Lelouch listened on to the best of his abilities as Nunnally tugged gently at his shirt, begging for an explanation with her large, blue eyes.

"Thank you, so much. Return to your post now, and make sure no one else knows about this." Breathless, confused, Lelouch caught his mother whispering so urgently as she reached out to hold his arm fleetingly. A new fear in his eyes, Lelouch watched as the guard turned around and fled towards where he came from. Marianne looked at his hasty disappearing back before turning back to Lelouch and Nunnally, her expression of fear and fright replaced by a pained, but comforting smile in an instant; this was, however, not missed by her intelligent son.

"Nunnally dear, would you be so kind to help me gather all those poor cherries? Lelouch, please come over for a while," Marianne instructed softly, her voice almost normal, but with easily noticeable false cheery and distinct fear. Nunnally broke apart from Lelouch and she shot a frightened glance at her brother, but he shook his head slightly and motioned her to continue. Patting his robes lightly, Lelouch ran hastily towards Marianne.

"Mother? Is everything alright? What could be so urgent?"

Lelouch looked up at his mother worriedly, his head spinning with possibilities. As his mind fell on a certain one, his mother finally caught his gaze. Eyes widening, they stared at each other, unable to speak.

"Yes, the news have just arrived. Your father is back in the country suddenly - He might.. _Drop by_," Marianne whispered, casting yet another fearful glance at Nunnally, who seems to have lost her concentration to chasing spare cherries. He understood immediately, fear widening his lilac irises within their frames.

"Things will work out fine, Mother. He would not bother to come over today. Our priority now is Nunnally's safety," replied Lelouch almost immediately, a sudden authority in his voice, a hand reached out to hold his mother's. Marianne seemed grateful for the comfort; She sighed slowly, closing her eyes, her form finally relaxing while her son's remained stiff.

"I will bring Nunnally up to get dressed. Have someone inform the guests, we'll start the party early. Even if he returns, by then, most of everyone would have left. That would be the best," Lelouch added quietly, planning out the following events in his mind as he glanced at Nunnally again. He would not allow that man to lay another finger on his sister again, as long as he was around. A wordless nod from Marianne reaffirmed his words.

"You take care too, mother." With this, Lelouch dropped his hands, and left his mother's side. Walking briskly, he stopped just beside Nunnally, who was down to gathering the last of the cherry fruits. Nunnally looked at her brother with the same expression of fear and confusion clear in her deep, blue eyes, but despite the situation, Lelouch couldn't help but to smile at Nunnally's cuteness. He held out a hand and smiled again as Nunnally took it automatically, causing a little of her worries to fade away.

"Oni-sama?" Nunnally asked, questions after questions in her eyes, but she took care not to voice them out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, my dearest Nunnally." He replied, eyes softening as he looked into Nunnally's. "Nothing."

"Here, we're going up to get dressed now," he told her as he pulled her up gently. "I've requested them to design the dress just as you've liked - White, with plenty of lace.." He added, changing the topic lightly as he watched Nunnally's fear-clouded eyes light up in excitement, also shedding their previous fear and confusion in return. It was easy to distract her, and he loved how innocent she was that way. Towards the mansion they went - He led her away for a while before turning back to his mother, who was observing them quietly.

"Mother, please take care. We'll meet you directly at the great hall."

* * *

**5th December 1989 ; 14:06 p.m.**

"Oni-sama? I'll head downstairs first, okay?"

The influence of a Japanese-oriented house keeper was apparent on his sister, Lelouch realised. He hadn't noticed when she had begun calling him 'oni-sama', but surprisingly, the terms has grown onto him.. He doesn't mind it half as much now. Nunnally squealed as she bounced around her brother's room excitedly, her shower of hazel hair flying in the air behind her. Smiling as he leaned back casually into his chair, Lelouch chuckled and watched all the maids' failed attempts to make her calm down.

Nunnally was dressed in a pretty snowy dress, but her hair was still rather in a mess. Sayoko came rushing quickly through the crowd of maids, with a pair of matching ribbons in her hands as she ran beside Nunnally.

"Nunnally-sama, I need you to stop so that I can adjust your hairstyle.." Sayoko whispered with the familiar desperation in her tone, and Lelouch couldn't help but to chuckle softly when he heard her; he was used to hearing this a couple of times a day, at regular intervals. Nunnally ran towards her brother quickly and knelt down infront of him, looking up at him with clear, blue eyes. Lelouch smiled and stretched out a hand to stroke Nunnally's hazel hair; the 6 year-old sighed with pleasure in response.

Seizing the opportunity, Sayoko came running and she settled down sitting beside Nunnally. Lelouch then held out his hand for the other ribbon as Sayoko started with one side of Nunnally's hair.

"Here, let me do the other side," Lelouch smiled gently with a quick wink in the house keeper's direction - It was intercepted by Nunnally first, causing her to burst into mad giggles yet again. Fortunately, she stayed still enough, and Sayoko did not have to complain.

After he and Sayoko had successfully dolled up Nunnally's hair, Lelouch leaned back into his chair and sighed with relief. Nunnally jumped around with her hair tied into an elegant princess hairstyle, her two ponytails and ribbons swinging in the air. Sayoko bowed and Nunnally beamed at her, turning back to face her older brother.

"Go ahead, Nunnally. Go show Mother what we've done for you," Lelouch smiled as he shared a look with Sayoko; the house keeper caught this one quickly, unlike his previous. He waved as Nunnally giggled once again, and watched as she took off in the direction of the great hall. Lelouch then sighed gently and stood up, approaching his bed slowly; as he laid his tired form on the bed, eyes half closed, Lelouch realised that his thoughts were, his father's aside, almost entirely focused on how best to keep Nunnally entertained for the afternoon - even though it was _his_ birthday..

"Shall I get your robes, Master Lelouch?" Sayoko questioned softly, her eyes shining with anticipation as she watched Lelouch lie on his bed. Sometimes, living with this 9 year-old was like playing a game of never-ending chess; She could not afford to let her guard down as she waited for his order, but sometimes, she had to step ahead to get things done even without his word. Lelouch glanced over at her with an eye closed, and then at his wardrobe. He smiled, looking up at the ceiling.

"Pick a set of white robes, if you wouldn't mind, Nunnally loves it when I match her clothes."

Eyes softening at the reminder of his beloved sister, Lelouch continued slowly, "I'd have to dance with that cute little girl again, she wouldn't take no for an answer.." The corners of his lips curling upwards to form an elegant smile, Lelouch's tone held a slight air of mischief - One which he wouldn't normally use, even infront of his sister.

"Of course, she's your cute little girl, isn't she?" Sayoko replied with cheek, her voice getting louder as she approached Lelouch. "Here are your robes, Master Lelouch. From Lady Marianne herself, it would seem. This arrived yesterday."

Lelouch laid in bed and he carelessly flicked a couple of buttons off his shirt, and sighed in pleasure as his bare skin felt the cooling air around him.

"Shall I leave the room, Master Lelouch?" Sayoko asked as she laid Lelouch's robes at the end of his bed. Lelouch turned his head to look at her, thinking hard as he considered..

"Please stay, if you wouldn't mind. I have some important issues to discuss.. With you.." Lelouch replied, his voice trailing off as he glanced at his house keeper once again. Sayoko was indeed much different that she suggested on the surface; Her character, her physical ablities were close to perfect, as his plans required. Smiling slightly, Lelouch considered her in the role she was about to play, and couldn't find a better match than she herself..

* * *

**5th December 1989 ; 16:29 p.m.**

Lelouch was dressed in his new white robes, his hair combed and styled to perfection. Behind him, Sayoko walked with her head bowed slightly; it was, of course, to allow her to be ready to react when something happens, but she would have done it out of pure respect either way.

He descended the flight of stairs leading to the main corridor connected to the great hall, hands in his pockets, thinking, waiting. _Everyone should be here by now_, Lelouch thought. He'd enter, just as planned, and his 9th year-old party could begin and end.. Before his father even made his way back here.

Lelouch smiled gently as he pictured Nunnally's happy expression when he walks down, and into her arms - She would most probably giggle, then again, she was almost always giggling. He reached out a hand for the brass doorknob in the middle of the great oak doors, the main corridor was just ahead now.

Suddenly, he felt Sayoko approach him from the back as she stretched out her hand and held onto the doorknob, shooting him a glance that was both fearful and fearless.

She seemed to have detected something he didn't, or perhaps this was just him? It wasn't.

In that minute of stale silence, a symphony erupted from the crowd below, in the great hall just up ahead.

It was not a happy symphony of cheers, claps, and congratulations; it was a symphony of terror, of screams and cries, of bloodshed and various splattering over the walls and floors.. Of a series of gunfire, burst and echoes, bullets hitting the walls and bouncing off the floors.

It was a symphony of death.

Lelouch let out a strangled cry as he clawed at Sayoko's hands for the doorknob, desperate to rush in to the great hall. It was just ahead of him, damn it, he had to reach it! In his mind, a single person clouded all his thoughts, making him unable to consider anything else.

The birthday boy tried to scratch and tear his way to the door, but Sayoko's strong arms enclosed upon him, and they refused to let go. Sayoko was fearful about the dangers in the great hall, but at the same time fearless about Master Lelouch's possible judge of her behaviour as she grabbed him, dragging him away to safety. She feared only for his safety; after all, her main purpose here was to protect him..

When nothing but silence was left in the great hall - what seemed like a long decade later, Sayoko finally dropped her tired arms on the floor as she let Lelouch free, having being bitten and scratched at. Throwing himself on the door, ignoring the slightly muffled cries of his house keeper just behind him, Lelouch rushed out and was almost overcame by the sudden rush of the smell of blood - Strong, metallic, disgusting.

Rushing down the corridor to the stairs situated in the middle, he continued towards the stairs which led directly to the great hall.

However, as he approached the entrance, his foot steps slowed down, his eyes widening at the scene before him..


	3. Chapter 2 : Tidal Dance

**Chapter 2 : Tidal Dance**

**Disclaimer : **I do not own Harry Potter & Code Geass, but for the sake of the story, I've changed some of the character's family names.. (vi. Britannia is no doubt the name of a royalty) I hope that does not affect much of everything for readers! Their appearances will remain the same, and while I'll try to stick to the time line of Harry Potter, I can't guarantee I wouldn't make mistakes.

**Note to all :** Pardon me if the story makes no sense now, I _hope_ everything will be cleared up in the next few chapters! Please enjoy (:

* * *

**1st December 1989 ; 16:29 p.m.**

"Marianne.. Lelouch is almost 10 years old already; he'll soon receive the letter from Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. How do you plan to prevent Lelouch from seeing the letter, or even to avoid sending Lelouch to the academy? He's a pure blood of direct descend from a pure Slytherin family line, there's no way Professor Snape would allow such a Slytherin material to slip.."

On a wooden bench against the wall, Marianne sat quietly by the window still, her hand resting quietly on the dusty glass window before her. Sayoko, C.C. and her were up in the 'forbidden' (as known to Lelouch and Nunnally) attic, surrounded by the family's forgotten and discarded treasures. Downstairs, playing out on the lawn were Lelouch and Nunnally, their crystalline giggles blending perfectly into the passing breeze, easily carried towards the 3 ex-Ravenclaws upstairs through the sealed-shut window.

To Marianne's right was C.C., leaning casually against an ancient ornamental mirror, her wild, lime-green hair trapped between its dusty surface and her relaxed form. Directly behind Marianne stood Sayoko, rooted to her spot beside the aged oaken door, a look of worry plastered on her Japanese features while her golden eyes blazed with concern.

As Sayoko's words hung dead in the air, C.C. raised a hand and waved before her face impatiently, as though it would somehow drive the stale atmosphere away. However, all she managed to do was to conjure up yet another gloomy cloud of dust.

"He might as well land himself in Ravenclaw like us you know, Sayoko. That boy's bright for his age. I've never met anyone else as careful and suspicious, about even his own mind. It took me a while to get him to trust me, well of course we all know the tale," C.C. laughed lightly, earning herself a sharp look of disapproval and a hushed, "Eli!" from Sayoko's direction. Of course, it was ignored in return. Inhaling the sweet scent of memories left to dust away, C.C. chuckled and inclined her head towards the head of the house, who still seemed to be deep in her own thoughts by her window. "What do you think, Marianne? He's your son after all."

"I wouldn't want to see him in Slytherin," Sayoko interjected moodily, dropping her eyes.

"Well, better Slytherin than Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, for a boy like him." C.C. added with a giggle, earning her another piercing look and a sharp turn of Sayoko's head.

"Excuse me, Eli! That's being, I don't know.. _House-ist_!"

"I can't even _imagine _Lelouch as a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff."

"Charles.. He will see to it."

A sudden silence followed those heavy words, the last lady to speak falling back into her previous silence again while the other two was slightly taken aback by Marianne's random comment. Each unwilling to break the silence, the 3 ex-Ravenclaws stood loose in their circle, staring away from each other, each unwilling to initiate a storm. Charles had always been a touchy subject between them - especially so for C.C., who was otherwise known as Elizabeth unless in private. The history between these ex-Ravenclaws and their previous Slytherin encounters had not been a sugary, fluffy one.

"Hogwarts.. Do allow home study, unless I'm mistaken. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will.. Trust us, enough, to be able to raise Lelouch and Nunnally properly, away from school. We're a pure blood family after all.." Marianne added slowly, minutes later, though there was doubt clear as the sky in her own voice. "Right, Eli..? Sayoko..?"

Her tone was weakened by uncertainty, by her lack of conviction; following her question was another draught of stale silence. Sayoko shook her head as she shut her eyes slowly, while C.C. looked away from them all, into the mirror that could not capture her reflection..

"Mother!" A series of bright knocks sounded from the door, almost throwing Sayoko off her feet as Lelouch's flustered voice followed closely after. "It's the mailman's downstairs, he insist on seeing your face again this time before he'd let go of the parcel."

While C.C. glided away from the mirror as she resisted the urge to giggle at the look on Sayoko's face, Marianne lifted herself off the bench, her form significantly more relaxed as she drifted towards the door.

"I'll be right down, Lelouch dear," answered Marianne, blinking slowly as her lips spreaded into a smile. "I just have a couple more things to pack up in here."

"Sure," as Lelouch's answer drifted into the room through the door, C.C. and Sayoko had already disappeared entirely from the attic, presumably making their way through the only, but sealed glass window.

* * *

**5th December 1989 ; 16:29 a.m.**

"No one can, and no one must know of this. The secret must be kept from Lelouch and Nunnally. If Sayoko or Elizabeth asks, just tell them it's Charles, okay? Nothing else of this should be made known to anyone else. Go now, find somewhere safe to hide yourself. And please, please, don't do anything rash."

Jeremiah Gottwald found himself up in a tree just minutes later after a rushed conversation with Lady Marianne, his back pressed stiffly against the rough bark of the tree. He could feel his breath come in sharp and shallow intakes, as though his chest was constricted by the mailman uniform he was still wearing; though he knew fairly well it wasn't so. He had no idea what was to happen, but he knew he would follow Lady Marianne's instructions to perfection, with care and with respect. That is, until he heard the sound of gunfire in the distance.

The hiding spot he picked, this tree, was easily one of the tallest in the forest near the mansion estate Lady Marianne and Sir Charles have picked to live in. Being in the tree gave him an excellent overview of the estates; head jerking up sharply as he heard the loud clashes and continuous gunfire, Jeremiah almost fell out of the tree in shock as he realised that the McQuillen mansion was surrounded by people cloaked in darkness. It was surprising how no one else reacted, even with this level of commotion..

Until he realised that this wasn't purely muggles' play of robbery or theft. There was _magic_ involved.

With actions as swift as a tiger, Jeremiah leapt off his tree and withdrew a thin piece of wood from his inner shirt - an odd, shaped piece of branch, if a normal person was to comment. Taking off with a speed that was hardly human, Jeremiah started dashing towards the McQuillen mansion, hoping he could make it in time to help those lucky survivors.

Lady Marianne had told him not to do anything rash.. However, if he had the luck to save Lady Marianne herself, or her beloved children, Jeremiah knew that he would not regret this decision of his.

* * *

**5th December 1989 ; 16:35 a.m.**

Digging through piles after piles of dead bodies, Lelouch's tiny 10 year old frame was drenched with blood and sweat as he searched through the crowd for the only face in his mind. Swearing and sobbing under his breath as he made his way towards the front door, Lelouch felt his anxiety and fear increasing with every passing second, with every other limp figure he pushed away. He just needed any hint, any sign related to Nunnally to let him know she was there - be it a ribbon, her dress, her hazel-gold hair.. Tears caught in his eyes as he unconsciously pictured Nunnally's lifeless form, Lelouch bit down another sob and continued, Sayoko limping behind himself.

"Lulu.."

A feeble voice issued from the side of the great hall, a voice both Lelouch and Sayoko recognised in an instant - Lady Marianne! Abandoning his previous track as he tried his best to dash across the hall, with Sayoko hot on his heels, Lelouch ignored his surroundings as he pushed his way through towards the source of the voice.

"Mother! Mother.."

An intake of breath later, Lelouch found himself beside Marianne's fallen form, feeble from her bullet wounds and blood loss. With Sayoko's help, the duo managed to free Marianne from the bodies that have fallen on top of her; and as he found himself kneeling beside his mother, listening to her sigh of relief, Lelouch realised that Marianne had another body beneath her own - Nunnally, pale but fortunately, only unconscious.

Before he knew what he was doing, Lelouch found himself reaching forward to draw Marianne's almost limp from into his embrace as he crouched forward, trying to stop her from trying to lift her own body up. Beside him, Sayoko hissed as she leaned closer, taking Marianne into her own arms by carrying her bridal style. As he watched, eyes singed with almost scalding tears, Lelouch backed away slightly to give Sayoko space to set Marianne down by Nunnally's side. For the first, possibly, time in his life, Lelouch found himself unable to explain the choking feeling he felt in his chest.

"... Nunnally.. Mother.."

Lelouch urged himself not to rush Sayoko; Marianne looked like she was hanging onto her life on such a breakable tread. Finally finding himself kneeling by her side again, Lelouch reached out to take her hand into his own, lifting their grasp gently off the ground while watching her expression for signs of pain or discomfort.

"Lulu.. I'm glad.. You're.. Just on time.. Not.. Earl.. Early.." Marianne mumbled incoherently, her smile widening ever so slightly as her eyes locked on Lelouch's, her trembling voice aching at her companions' hearts. The tearing 9 year old shot a pained glance at her, warning her not to speak anymore as he gave her hand a light squeeze. Marianne chuckled, but all that escaped her pale lips were hollow, airy sounds.

"Lady Marianne.. Nunnally is.. Okay.." Sayoko added quietly, her voice almost part of the background to Lelouch, speaking words Lelouch knew his mother wished to hear. Lips relaxing into a small, but the sweetest smile Lelouch has ever seen on her face, Marianne nodded once in lethargy, and reached out another hand for Sayoko's. With a forlorn expression, Lelouch threw a glance at Nunnally, before resting his watery gaze onto Marianne again.

"He.. They.. Must know.. Sayoko.. Everything.. You have to.."

Long after the snowy hand they each held ran cold, Lelouch and Sayoko stayed kneeling on the floor, each drenched in blood, sweat and tears, each silent as the night as they held onto the lady who had gave her life away for her daughter's. Even till the end, Marianne refused to stopped talking; even till the end, when her eyelids finally fell shut forever, she still wore that smile across her lips.

Jeremiah stood at the front door, watching the scene as a tear ran down his good eye. Then, along with the first night breeze that danced with the stench of blood, he disappeared into the night.

* * *

**7th December 1989 ; 8:33 a.m.**

The ceremony had barely ended; the priest had just finished mumbling the last of his prayers, and his Bible still stood open on the rotting wooden stand before him. Yet everyone in the small crowd gathered had started to stand, drawing themselves out of their seats, some even already drifting away from the scene and making their way away in the most hurried manner - as though there wasn't anything worth staying for. Whispers, giggles and even laughter from later on, spreaded through the crowd as its people decided where next to head to.. It was as if they have just all departed from an extremely boring movie.

Taking the scene in with sorrowful eyes, the priest murmured a few last words, picked up his Bible, and hastily fled the scene too. Not wanted to be left alone he involunteerily followed closely behind the last group exiting the graveyard. At last, when the gates swung back into their place, there was no one left.

No one, except for two lonely people, standing at half the previous group's size away from each other. As Sayoko raised her handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes, Lelouch left his seat and made his way to the roughly dug hole that stood before the wooden stand previously used by the priest. Within the hole laid a pure white marble coffin, and a tombstone of the similar quality stood solemnly outside the grave.

They found the coffin and tombstone outside the house just the morning after; it was possibly meant as a gift. Lelouch almost threw it into the pond in pure rage, but was stopped by Sayoko when she said that she knew its sender had meant no disrespect, after seeing the message engraved on the tombstone.

Marianne Simon McQuillen 1964 - 1989  
_Rest in eternal peace, dearest mother, my faithful friend,_  
_Rest assured that this will not be our last wrongful end.  
Rest well for I now have your hand in mine, my friend._

Lady Marianne's death came as no surprise to anyone - not to mention that the only people who would've cared were all already murdered in the birthday party just two nights ago.

Wearing a closed expression, Lelouch picked up an abandoned shovel from the floor; a shovel casted aside by the workers they've hired to finish up the grave, workers who were daring enough to abandon their work because no one treated this event seriously - they could all tell. No one else felt the need to mourn for Marianne's death; in everyone elses' eyes Marianne was not even important enough to deserve the simplest of ceremonies. No one, not even the lowest of the workers, for they had abandoned the ceremony together with the fleeing crowd. Lelouch's 10 year old figure trembled with anger and sorrow as he gripped the shovel tightly, cutting his hands against the rough metal.

Finally, with a long sigh, Lelouch let go of everything within, and started to dig at the fresh piles of dirt around the grave, pushing the soil over Marianne's coffin.

He didn't understand why at first, but everyone felt that Lady Marianne deserves to die - he had heard them calling her a 'slut', saying that she was but a nuisance to Charles. No one cared about her death, above everyone else who had died at the same time. If worse, they were happy that she had _finally gone_.

With every drop of blood, sweat and tears, Lelouch's will to complete this task alone strengthened. Sayoko knew, and as she stood at that distance away, she was left clutching her handkerchief while watching Master Lelouch's tiny figure at work. The boy had never actually been seen doing manual work, but Sayoko knew that she would not be forgiven if she interferred now.

The sun was rising now, and its sharp rays scorched his back, but Lelouch didn't care. His hands were blistered, his blood ripping into the soil along with his sweat and tears, but Lelouch didn't care. His head was ringing with images of his mother, well or unwell, but still happy or the same - they threatened to rip his willpower apart, but Lelouch didn't care. He relinquished his anger and sorrow upon the mud and soil he'd dug, throwing them into the hole that was slowly filling up. The 10 year old boy cried, openly, but he didn't care either; there was no one else left around to see him in this state.

"Please go check on Nunnally, see if she has awaken. Please, pardon me, I'll finish this up as soon as possible," Lelouch finally broke the silence, his voice barely a whisper, but he somehow knew that Sayoko would hear. He did not wait, nor did he raise his head to see her nod of understanding, but as he heard the metal gates to the graveyerd swing shut again with a final, metallic click, Lelouch realised that he was finally, all alone now.

That's right. Even though his mother had departed, she still left him and his sister in someone's care. She must have arranged everything..

When the hole was finally filled, Lelouch casted the shovel away tiredly as he leaned heavily against the wooden stand that now stood free from its duties. He stared at the tombstone, at the simple lines written for his Mother by someone faceless person he doubt he even knew, and stretched out a hand to trace the cravings on the white marble, struggling to keep his tears from escaping as they flooded his eyes.

The rough texture he felt beneath his fingers made him wonder if they were hand carved by someone who was little less than expert.

_May you rest in eternal peace now, Mother. _Lelouch closed his eyes slowly, allowing the lethargy from his head to seep through his veins. _I promise I'll take care of Nunnally._

Now stepping away from the grave, stopping only when he was a polite distance away, Lelouch casted one long, longing look at the white marble that marked his Mother's resting spot. Lelouch faced the tombstone directly, and sank into a proper Japanese bow - almost 90 degrees forward, back straightened, head tucked in, eyes closed in tears. When he finally raised himself again, Lelouch made himself shed the last of his tears and pursed his lips, before spinning around to exit the graveyard himself.

_Father, you'll pay for this - for ripping apart **my** family._


	4. Chapter 3 : Pickup Waves

**Chapter 3 : Pick-up Waves**

**Disclaimer : **I do not own Harry Potter & Code Geass, but for the sake of the story, I've changed most of the character's names. The characters' appearances will remain the same, and while I'll try to stick to the time line of Harry Potter, I can't guarantee I wouldn't make mistakes.

**Note to all :** It has been a long break, so here's a big "THANK YOU" to everyone who has been reading and supporting this story! (: Hope you'll enjoy this new chapter. It's a little longer and more long-winded than I've expected, but I felt the need to set a introduction to the characters mentioned.. I hope it'll improve in other chapters to come xD

* * *

**23rd June 1991 ; 08:03 a.m.**

Had it been a night of good weather, or had it been raining? Suzaku could not remember. All he remembered was him sitting in his parents' car, staring blankly at nothing in particular, listening to the conversation his parents were having in the front seats.. What had they been talking about? How old was he back then? Where were they heading to? These were questions he had no answers to. Even if he had tried forcing himself to remember, he could not even recall the simplest detail anymore. Everything was hazy, out of focus.. As though his mind was trying to bleach this away into another forgotten memory.

Strangely, he did remembered how violently he jerked in his seat as the wheels - supposedly - spun out of control, and he remembered hearing yells without being able to recall his parents' voices..

A flash of brilliant green light flooded his vision from beneath his eyelids, followed by a burning pain on his forehead; Suzaku woke up sweating profusely in his bed.

Balling his hands, gathering the blanket clutched tightly within them, Suzaku moaned in frustration as he rolled over in his 'lying spot'. Space was limited within the cupboard under the stairs after all, and there was no way Suzaku would allow himself to call this crumpled piece of mattress his 'proper' bed.

Nearly 10 years have passed since the Bradleys awoke to find their nephew on their front steps, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose to greet the same tidy front gardens, and lit up the brass number Four on the Bradleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on that morning Mrs. Bradley found a baby lying on top of her morning newspapers. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time has passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball covered in different-colored bonnets; but Dewey Bradley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blonde boy waving his first baseball bat around, on a bumper car (which later crashed) at a fair, playing a (handicapped) game of football with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign of another boy, Suzaku, living in the house, too.

No longer sleepy, Suzaku scratched his head absentmindedly as he stared blankly into the ceiling. Just as he reached out to nudge a spider out of his line of sight, however, his Aunt Precia started rapping on the door suddenly; accompanying was her shrill voice which, Suzaku believed, should've woken up everyone down their drive.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

Suzaku almost jumped in his lying spot as the spider hurriedly flung itself out of sight. His aunt rapped on the door again.

"UP!" she screeched. Suzaku heard her fluffy slippers pacing towards the kitchen, then the sound of the frying pan being shoved onto the stove. Rolling onto his back, he sighed and tousled his already-messy hair. He should have expected this coming, since this was how most of his mornings with the Bradleys started.

His aunt was back outside the door.

"Are you up yet?" she demanded in a shriek.

"Nearly," replied Suzaku quietly.

"Well, hurry up, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Dewey-pie's birthday."

Suzaku groaned.

"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.

"Nothing, nothing.."

Dewey's birthday - how could he have forgotten? All the holidays marked on the calender aside (where Dewey gets a day off from school to concentrate on bullying Suzaku), this day has got to be one of the most unfortunate days Suzaku was ever made to go through. Reaching a thin, shaky hand beneath the make shift mattress, Suzaku felt around blindly for a pair of socks, while tousling his hair out of habit with his other hand. Upon pulling a spider off one of the pair of socks he retrieved, Suzaku slipped them on without realising they didn't quite matched. Suzaku was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.

The kitchen was already filled with the smell of a very greasy piece of bacon, and Dewey's birthday present as Suzaku gingerly navigated around what used to be the dining table hidden beneath a pile of colorful wrapping paper. It looked as though Dewey had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike he had been crying for. Exactly why Dewey wanted a racing bike was still a mystery to Suzaku, because Dewey was very fat and hated exercise - unless it involved punching somebody. Of course, Dewey's favourite punching bag was Suzaku, but he often couldn't catch him. Suzaku didn't look like it, but he was very, very fast.

Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard under the stairs, but Suzaku had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinner than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dewey's, and Dewey was more than four times bigger than he was. Suzaku had a thin face, thinner limbs, brown hair and bright green eyes. He did not need to wear glasses, but even if he did he wouldn't dare too, because Dewey often punched him on the nose. The only thing Suzaku found he could be proud of about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead, that was shaped in a weird symbol like a bird taking flight. He had had it as long as he could try to remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Precia (apart from how his family had died) was how he had gotten the scar.

"In the car crash when your parents died," she had snapped back. "Now don't ask questions."

_Don't as questions _- that was the first rule for a quiet, less violent life with the Bradleys. Suzaku had then assumed it was the symbol of the brand of the car his parents drove, and it had collided with his head so hard that it left him with such a scar.. Although when he tried to search for a brand of cars with this symbol later on during the seconds he managed to sneak in using Dewey's computers, Suzaku managed to find none that came close to matching.

Uncle Vincent entered the kitchen holding his newspapers just as Suzaku was tossing the bacon in its pan, looking much annoyed at how he had not the usual space to set his papers on. Upon spotting Suzaku, however, his eyes narrowed much significantly as he barked, "Coffee, boy!", as his usual morning greeting, almost causing Suzaku to drop the bacon he was flipping in the pan onto a mountain of presents.

"No Vincent dear, _he_ needs to watch the bacon!"

In the house, Suzaku was never referred to by his name. Vincent and Precia seemed very much disturbed by Suzaku's mother, Elsie's choice to marry a Japanese, and Suzaku was forbid to even make a single sound in Japanese around the Bradleys. They've even gone to the extend of giving him an English name for 'official uses', though Suzaku hated being known as 'Steven Lynns' instead of 'Kururugi Suzaku' - his birth name. Shaking his head minutely, Suzaku slided the bacon off its pan, and proceeded to fry something else Aunt Precia had laid out.

"If it so much as burns, you-"

Timely, the door to the kitchen crashed open as a very large pink thing, dressed in what was meant to be a smart, grey suit too small for his frame, came swaggering into the already cramped space. Dewey looked a lot like Uncle Vincent, with his large pink face, not much of a neck, small and watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Precia often said that Dewey looked like a baby angel - Suzaku then often thought of Dewey as an ugly offspring of an unfortunate pig.

"Diddykins!" Aunt Precia exclaimed at once, rushing forward to embrace her son, over-stretched suit and all. While Uncle Vincent coughed some form of a morning greeting, Dewey shook Aunt Precia off and proceeded to count his birthday loot. Suzaku sighed at the familiar scene, and focused his attention once again on the eggs he was frying.

A moment later Suzaku went to set the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which proved to be difficult as there wasn't much room, and sat down politely only after Aunt Precia did. Dewey, meanwhile, had finished counting his presents, and his face fell significantly the moment he counted the last.

"Thirty-six," Dewey choked with a (rather ugly, in Suzaku's opinioin) pout, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."

"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present see," Aunt Precia began immediately, resting a boney hand on Dewey's back. "It's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."

"All right, thirty-seven then," snorted Dewey, going red in the face. Suzaku, who could see a huge Dewey tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as quickly as he could, in case Dewey flipped the table over in their faces.

Aunt Precia obviously scented danger too, because she quickly said, "And we'll buy you another _two _presents while we're out today. How's that, diddy-kins? _Two_ more presents. Is that all right?''

Dewey fell silent, considering for a moment. It looked like he was doing a really hard sum, and Suzaku had to bend his body under the table to conceal his laughter. Finally Dewey begun slowly, "So I'll have thirty.. thirty.."

"Thirty-nine, sweety-dums," added Aunt Precia.

"Oh." Dewey sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel, tearing the wrapping apart roughly. "All right then." Uncle Vincent chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. That's my boy, Dewey!" He thumped Dewey on his back.

Breakfast resumed as Dewey tried to unwrap his presents while eating; soon, the Bradleys and Suzaku watched Dewey put aside the racing bike, a video camera, a gold wristwatch, sixteen new computer games and a VCR. Soon after Uncle Vincent and Aunt Precia finished their breakfast and left to change, Dewey rushed out onto the lawn to test out his newly unwrapped remote control airplane, leaving Suzaku alone to clear the dishes.

Suzaku, with his hands moist with soap and water, casted a longing look out of the kitchen window, where Dewey could be seen directing his remote control airplane to chase after their neighbour's ginger cat. Putting the mountains of presents aside, every year on Dewey's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for a day, to theme parks, hamburger restaurants, the movie theaters or the fairgrounds. Suzaku was never part of it; every year he was left behind with Mrs. O'Neal, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Old Mrs. O'Neal was okay, in Suzaku's opinion, but his trips to her place weren't - the whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. O'Neal would make him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.

Suzaku had never had a birthday celebration in his whole 10 years of life. The Bradleys seem to think that he should feel thankful enough to even receive birthday presents from them - namely a hanger, single socks that would not match, and tissue paper packets.

"Time to go!" Suzaku heard his Aunt shriek through the door again, and he knew that the Bradleys have changed and were ready to go. Setting the last dish back onto the rack, drying his hands as well, Suzaku scurried out of the kitchen before he could earn himself another earful, dreading the smell of cabbages and the many pictures of Mrs. O'Neal's beloved kittens as he went.

* * *

**23rd June 1991 ; 09:47 a.m.**

"Now what," Aunt Precia scowled, looking furiously at Suzaku as though he'd planned everything. The Bradleys had spent precious minutes of their son's birthday driving around the estate in circles, unable to decide what to do with Suzaku - They drove him to the doorsteps old Mrs. O'Neal, only to find that she has been hospitalised last night for breaking her leg, so she was not home at the moment (a nosey neighbour had told them). Suzaku knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. O'Nealhad broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vincent suggested half-heartedly, gripping the steering wheel impatiently.

"Don't be silly, Vincent, she hates the boy," chided Aunt Precia. The Bradleys often spoke about Suzaku like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.

"What about, you know, what's-her-name, your friend- Yvonne-" "On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Precia before Uncle Vincent could finish.

"You could just drop me back at the house," Suzaku put in hopefully. It'd certainly be refreshing to be able to watch what he wanted to on the television, and maybe have a go on Dewey's computer.

Aunt Precia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon as she swallowed that thought.

"And come back to find the house in ruins?" she snarled.

"I won't blow up the house," replied Suzaku earnestly, but the Bradleys weren't listening. Uncle Vincent and Aunt Precia's agitatedbut hushed arguement continued in the front seat, but neither of them could come to agree with any solution. Time was ticking, fast, and they would soon be late if they delayed any further.

Half an hour later, Suzaku, who couldn't believe his luck, was standing a short way behind the Bradleys and a small boy called Jason Miller (who usually held Dewey's victims with their arms behind their backs as Dewey punched them), glancing at the entrance to the Zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but right after they had alighted from the car, Uncle Vincent had taken Suzaku aside.

"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Suzaku's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

"I'm not going to do anything," Suzaku had replied. "Honestly.."

But Uncle Vincent didn't believe him. No one ever did. The problem was, strange things often happened around Suzaku and it was just impossible to tell the Bradleys, or anyone else in fact, that he wasn't the cause of them.

Once, Aunt Precia, tired of Suzaku coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dewey had laughed himself silly at Suzaku, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his appearance and baggy clothes. Next morning, however, he had woken up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Precia had sheared it off He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he _couldn't_ explain how it had grown back so quickly.

Another time, Aunt Precia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dewey's (orange with brown puff balls) - The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, which certainly wouldn't fit Suzaku. Aunt Precia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Suzaku wasn't punished.

On the other hand, he'd gotten into worse trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dewey's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Suzaku's surprise as anyone else's, he suddenly reappeared sitting on the chimney. It had taken them quite the effort to help Suzaku down, and the Bradleys had received a very angry letter from Suzaku's headmistress telling them Suzaku had been climbing school buildings - when all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vincent through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Suzaku supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.

But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dewey and Jason to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. Careful to keep his head bowed politely, Suzaku followed the Bradleys into the Zoo, his heart beat accelerated as he first stepped through the gates.

It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Bradleys bought Dewey and Jason large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Suzaku what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad either, Suzaku thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dewey, except that it wasn't blond.

Suzaku had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Bradleys so that Dewey and Jason, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of punching him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dewey had a tantrum because his sundae didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vincent bought him another (upsized) one and Suzaku was allowed to finish the first.

Suzaku felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.

* * *

**23rd June 1991 ; 12:54 p.m.**

After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards, snakes and other small animals were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dewey and Jason wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons - they quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vincent's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.

Dewey stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.

"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vincent tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.

"Do it again," Dewey ordered. Uncle Vincent rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.

"This is boring," Dewey groaned, shuffling away with Jason by his side.

Suzaku moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom in the glass display, with no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Precia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he was still allowed to be out of the cupboard.

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, with pace, it raised its head until its eyes were on level with Suzaku's.

It then _winked._

Suzaku stared, then looked around quickly to see if anyone was watching. No one was, so he looked back at the snake and winked, too.

The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vincent and Dewey, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Suzaku a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time."

"I know," Suzaku murmured through the glass, though he was unsure if the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."

The snake nodded vigorously in response.

"Where do you come from, anyway?" Suzaku asked. The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass, (It read, "Boa Constrictor, Brazil.") which Suzaku peered at without trying to look away from the snake for too long. There was a certain dream-like quality to this scene in Suzaku's head, apart from the fact that they were in the cold and dark reptile house.

"Was it nice there?"

The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Suzaku read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - sorry.. So you've never been to Brazil?"

As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Suzaku made them both jump. "DEWEY! Mr. Bradley! Come and look at this snake! You won't believe what it's doing!"

Dewey came waddling toward them as fast as he could.

"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Suzaku in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Suzaku fell hard onto the cold concrete floor. As he fought the sudden pain shooting through his body, Suzaku looked up to throw a glare at Dewey, who hadn't paid Suzaku the slightest bit of attention. What came next happened so quickly no one saw how it had happened - one second, Dewey and Jason were leaning with their noses pressed against the glass, and the next, they were tumbling head-first into the boa constrictor's display case.

Suzaku sat up and gasped; the glass in front of the boa constrictor's tank had completely vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering past the completely freaked-out Dewey and Jason, who were completely drenched, out of the display and down onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and scattered, running for the exits.

As the snake slid swiftly past him, Suzaku could have sworn he heard a low, hissing voice whisper, "_Brazil, here I come.. Thanksss, amigo._"

The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.

"But the glass," he kept saying, as though in a daze. "Where did the glass go?"

The zoo director himself made Aunt Precia and Uncle Vincent each a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Jason and Dewey could only gibber. As far as Suzaku had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vincent's car, Dewey was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Jason was claiming it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Suzaku at least, was Jason calming down enough to say, "Suzaku was talking to it, weren't you, Suzaku?" Uncle Vincent waited until Jason was safely out of the house and driven away by his mother before starting on Suzaku. He was in such a rage that he could hardly speak. All he managed to say was, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Precia had to run and get him a large brandy while muttering away rapidly under her breath.

Suzaku lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Bradleys were asleep yet - because until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.

He'd lived with the Bradleys for ten years; ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he had lost his parents in the car crash that he couldn't even quite remember. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he would end up with the same strange vision that later haunted him in his sleep: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed, was the effects of the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't even remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There was not even a single photograph of them in the house.

When he had been younger, Suzaku had wished and prayed for some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Bradleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him - very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Precia and Dewey. After asking Suzaku furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Precia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once, from on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was how they all seemed to vanish the second Suzaku tried to get a closer look.

At school, Suzaku had no one. Everybody knew that Dewey's gang hated that odd Steven Lynns in his baggy old clothes and scawny appearance, and nobody liked to disagree with Dewey's gang.


	5. Chapter 4 : Dancing Joy

**Chapter 4 : Dancing Joy**

**Disclaimer : **I do not own Harry Potter & Code Geass, but for the sake of the story, I've changed most of the character's names. The characters' appearances will remain the same, and while I'll try to stick to the time line of Harry Potter, I can't guarantee I wouldn't make mistakes.

**Note to all :** I'm an avid follower of Japanese Anime & Manga, so pardon me for the references and implications and character traits from typical Japanese Anime & Manga that probably will surface now and them throughout my story.. Oh, and forgive my frequent run-on sentences. A big thank you to each and everyone who has been following and reviewing this story! (:

Ah.. I've taken a really long break. Here's chapter 4 (5, actually) of Doubt & Trust!  
Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading and following this story! (:

* * *

**21st July 1991 ; 08:32 a.m.**

Three floors up from the ground level, through an open window of the Stadtfeld's residence, a cool breeze danced its way into the dust-free bedroom, stirring the air gently - an unexpected, temporary relief for her agitation. Her brows were furrowed with extreme concentration, lips pursed in frustration. Fingers rapping on the wooden table she and her older twin brothers sat at, she stared intendedly at the board, hoping the next move would somehow magically come to her.

"Give it up," Calvin piped in with a grin. "You're never going to get it," finished Keith, Calvin's twin, as he mirrored the grin, knocking his head of bright, red hair together with his twin's.

The table shook dangerously for a moment as she gripped it tightly, willing not to be taken over by her annoyance. Settling down finally after a long moment of listening to her brothers snicker, she cast her attention upon the chess board on the table again, trying her best to think it through. _There must be some way out of this, something she could do! They couldn't have had her trapped just like this!_

As she sank into deeper thoughts, she noticed not how her second oldest brother sneaked a peak behind her shoulder, nor how he withdrew from her cerise hair while sighing in amusement.

"Knight to B7," he whispered lowly by her ear, only to have her piece move magically on its own to the assigned spot, while at the same time hacking the twins' queen piece out of the way.

"Thanks, Ray!" she sighed, sinking into her chair in relief, as the damaged queen piece was hastily swept off the chess board by her nearest pawn.

"That's not really fair, Raymond.." Lillian, their youngest sister, injected suddenly; she appeared out of nowhere and started worming her way in between the twins, who were sharing an armchair. Raymond, who was already trying to sneak out of the room, turned back and flashed a grin in everyone's general direction.

"They're playing 2-on-1, so it's not really fair for Kallen, too," Raymond reasoned. He seemed to have decided that, since he'd gotten himself involved, he might as well stayed. Withdrawing his wand, chipped at some parts but still holding itself somewhat proudly, Raymond gave it a twirl and conjured an arm-chair out of mid-air, which he sank into after pushing it close to Kallen's.

"She challenged us to it," replied Calvin with a sigh, forcing a fake frown on his face. Beside him, Keith tried his best to imitate Calvin, but somehow failed miserably; the resulting expression he plastered onto his own face caused everyone in the room to burst out into teary laughter for almost as long as the minute held.

An unintelligible curse, followed by a series of loud thuds, sounded from the room just beneath the one they were all in. "Will you lot just keep the noise down?" An angry yell followed the sudden silence everyone fell into, and died away as everyone in the room above glanced at each other guiltily.

"Well, the summer holidays just barely started.." Kallen finally broke the stale silence with her whisper, shooting a worried glance at Raymond - the eldest amongst them all, who returned her a shrug. "What'd you guys reckon Edward's doing, always hiding himself in his room?"

Edward - Kallen's third older brother, who was older than the twins as well - had always been known for being touchy, but otherwise good at keeping his own temper in check. His outburst meant that they were really noisy.. Or he was unusually agitated at the moment.

"Knowing him, he's probably working on a top-secret report about his discovery on the 500 new uses of Dragon Dung," one of the twins injected slowly, easing their worries into a gradual grin with every word. "Or trying to memorise the whole coursework for next year's NEWTs," continued the second twin as he started grinning too. "It's nothing to worry about," the twins chorused.

"But still-"

"Kids- breakfast, now, at the dinning table!"

The gentle, but firm voice of their mother's, left them no space for arguments.

Groaning, made to ignore their chess game, everyone shuffled out of the room one after another; each feeling distinctly puzzled but helpless as they strolled past Edward's tightly-shut room door.

* * *

**21st July 1991 ; 09:13 a.m.**

Chewing through a tough piece of toast still hanging between her lips, Kallen found herself glancing up to find Edward joining them at the dining table only a whole quarter of an hour later, radiating a suspiciously lethargic, but self-satisfied aura. By then most of them had long finished their breakfast; Kallen and Lillian found themselves to be the only ones still eating at the dinner table, with Raymond reading the newspapers and the twins huddled in a corner of the dining room, deep in discussion. Their mother, Mariel Stadtfeld, occupied herself with washing the dishes; with a wave of her wand, the dishes start dancing and rinsing themselves in the basin filled with soap and water. Gulping down the remaining corner of her toast, Kallen smiled at Edward as he took the seat right in front of her own, and asked, "Did something good happen, Ed?"

"Not particularly," Edward replied, though unable to hide his broad smile, while helping himself to the thinning stack of toast and jam.

"I told you, he'd been memorising the coursework.."

Three pairs of eyes - Raymond's with raised brows, Edward's sudden furious glare, and Kallen's twinkling with laughter, turned and focused on the pair of twins, who seemed to have wrapped up their private conversation, and were making their way back to the dining table.

"So, what's up for the 3rd chapter in D.A.D.A. for the 5th years this year?" Calvin grinned, and took the seat beside Kallen's.

Caught off guard by the question, Edward automatically replied- "Werewolves again, but in greater details in terms of- Why am I even telling you this?" he grumbled, putting down his toast as though he'd lost his appetite.

"You were caught off guard," Raymond offered, putting down his papers. On the front page Kallen caught sight of a picture of a young boy, no more than her age, walking off some pavement off the screen, and apparently not noticing the camera at all. Before she could try to figure out the headline upside-down, Raymond folded the papers and put them aside, reaching out for his coffee. "By the way, you seem to have an odd amount of feathers stuck to your sweater."

Looking away sadly from his wasted toast to his sweater, Edward started brushing the more visible bits of fluff off the woolen top. "I hadn't noticed."

"Been sending owls, Mr. Know-It-All?"

"To his pen-pals, probably. Mr. Edward-the-brilliant can't possibly be sending love letters to his girlfriend."

"Or the lack of a girlfriend.."

"Shut up, the both of you!"

Kallen smiled, stirring her cup of warm cocoa as she listened to the laughter surrounding her. This was how their mornings began in her home - in the 'Burrow', an affectionate name they have for this house of their family's. Kallen was certain she would miss her home when she was finally admitted to school, because that meant that she would only be able to return during winter and summer term breaks.

"Speaking of owls, the letters from Hogwarts are a little late this year, aren't they?"

This caught the attention of everyone in the room, except for Lillian, who was still munching on her toast. It was understandable; Lillian was still a year too young for the Wizarding school they studied in, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The post this year would bring them no important news, aside from whether Kallen was accepted into Hogwarts - or not.

Kallen glanced around for everyone's expression, then looked down at her lap. What if she was the reason to why their letters from Hogwarts were not here yet? Perhaps the headmaster could not decide if she was worthy enough for Hogwarts - after all, other than the one time where she accidentally uprooted a tree behind their house while trying to get her stuck broomstick out of it, she could not remember other scenarios where she has displayed traces of magical abilities inside her at all.. The only things that reminded her of her possible magical abilities were the fact that she was born into a line of pure-blooded witches and wizards, and that she lived in a very much magical household.

That, however, was often not enough to keep her convinced.

"Don't upset your sister, Calvin, it's nothing to worry about," their mother had abandoned watching the dishes wash themselves, and approached to give Kallen a pat on the head. Looking up at her mother for reassurance, Kallen noted her mother's tight smile, as well as a suspicious, saddened glimpse that was reached her just before her mother looked away to move towards Lillian. Since this wasn't the first time she has noted such actions, Kallen shoved these thoughts to the back of her head for their lack of explanation.

Perhaps she would understand, in due time, perhaps after she had enrolled into Hogwarts.

"You'll be accepted into Hogwarts and get sorted into Gryffindor in no time.."

Kallen watched as Mariel patted Lillian gently on her head.

_Was that directed at me, or at Lillian, mother?_

"But eww, I don't want to be stuck in the same house as them!" Kallen laughed aside her doubts, pointing at the twins as she tried to break the tension she felt. "Imagine, having to share the same common room with them for 6 more years!"

The twins looked at each other and grinned. "You won't have much of a choice," Keith laughed. "It's predetermined that all of us will end up as Gryffindors. Look at us- Look at Edward and Raymond.. Even Leonard had been a Gryffindor!" Calvin added with a whistle.

Leonard was their oldest brother - he had graduated from Hogwarts 3 years ago, and was now working as a Curse Breaker in Egypt, for the Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

"Even your father and I were Gryffindors, too.." Mariel piped in, a dreamy expression spread arranging her soft features.

"Mother.."

"Probably where they met-"

"-and fell in love-"

"-and did it in the common room-"

"CALVIN! KEITH!"

"You're not denying, mother?"

"Oh, of course we didn't! Now stop it, the both of you.."

Gradually, the sound of soft but steady flapping of wings reached their ears. Looking out of the window in unison, the Stadtfelds watched as a great, grey owl soared through the skies, apparently intending to glide right through the side of the window which was opened - until it crashed loudly in the side of the window that wasn't opened, before falling into a tangled mess of feathers and letters into the lawn.

Lillian dropped her toast in shock; the rest of the Stadtfeld boys, Kallen included, tried their best to hold their wince straight.

"Oh dear, that poor bird.. Raymond, go get him, will you?"

"Of course, mother."

That was their family owl - Lotson, although he did not sound as bright or strong as his name had intended. Lotson have been their family owl for ages, so much so that he was referred to as _ancient_ - not even their mother could remember where and when exactly had they came to own Lotson as a family owl.

Undoing the heavy stack of letters from Lotson's leg, Raymond gave the big bird a quick ruffle on the head before he sent it into the lawn to laze around before being fed. "It's the letters from Hogwarts!" he announced happily, bringing the letters back to the dining table before sorting them out. "Here's one addressed to the family - this one's to Edward-" Edward reached out promptly to receive his letters, and wasted no time opening it. "- Calvin and Keith - here's yours, Kallen. Weird, isn't it? Usually they'd send everything in a single letter."

Everyone fell silent as they opened, and read their specific letters. Kallen held hers gingerly in her hands, nervous about opening it - what if she wasn't accepted, after all?

"The books are going to be expensive again, mother. Why do they always pick the pricey ones for us to read?" Keith complained with a loop-side grin. "Doesn't make sense. Not like they'll make us any more brilliant than we already are."

"Maybe they'll make the both of you less playful," Mariel replied immediately, glancing down their booklist. "We'll manage, don't worry.. This means a shopping trip soon!"

"How's your letter, Kallen?" Lillian asked suddenly, upon finally finishing her piece of toast.

".."

"Open it! It's probably about the sorting ceremony - and how you'll have to fight the mountain troll they keep locked up in the basement of the school."

"Wait, what? Mountain troll?"

"Yeah, they sort you according to how well you fight against it.."

"Stop scaring your younger sister, the both of you."

Slowly turning the envelop around in her hands, Kallen plucked carefully at the wax seal of the school of Hogwarts, and drew out a yellowish piece of parchment.

"Dear Ms. Kallen Stadtfeld," she begun reading, uncertainly. The smiles of her family members encouraged her on, and for a brief moment Kallen was able to put all of her fears aside. Returning a comforting smile to the best of her abilities, Kallen glanced down at her letter, and continued.

"We are pleased to inform you.. That you have been _accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_!" Kallen swore she could have squealed, resisting the urge to throw the letter into the air. "I've been accepted!"

After a quick round of hugs and kisses, most of everyone settled back in their seats. "We expected," Calvin mumbled stiffly, trying to sound as though he didn't care. "Nothing less from our sister!" Keith injected.

"I've been accepted.." echoed Kallen happily, sinking into her chair. She was about to daze off again, until she noticed that her brother, Edward, was still sitting stiffly in his own seat. Now that she probably thought about it, Edward hadn't been with them while they were hugging and cheering..

"Ed? Edward? Are you alright?"

This was the cue for everyone's heads to turn; Edward looked up at her, his eyes wide and his mouth open, looking at her without seeing.

"I.. I.."

Keith reached out to snatch the parchment from Edward's hands - normally, it would be the invitation for another round of brotherly argument; but this time, Edward barely moved, let alone acknowledge that action.

It took Keith barely half the minute to scan through the writings on the letter.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, no," he whispered in horror as he passed the letter to the first person on his right - Calvin.

"Oh, no, this can't be right!" the other of the twins cried out once he was done with the letter.

"What happened!"

"The Gryffindor tower will collapse.."

"Will you pass the letter on, Calvin?" Raymond asked, sounding exasperated.

"This.. This is the darkest event in the whole Gryffindor history!" Keith exclaimed, in dramatic tone worthy of Shakespeare's works.

".." Leaning forward, Kallen snatched the parchment from Calvin's hands as he waved it in the air, withdrawing a safe distance before proceeding to read it. "It says here that Edward's been made.. A _prefect_.."

While the twins chorused a groan, their mother rushed over to squeeze Edward into a tight hug, tears escaping from her eyes. "That's the second in the family now, Edward! Your father and I are so, so proud of you!" Saying so, she landed a wet kiss on his cheek. "This calls for a celebration for Edward and Kallen, I suppose." Raymond smiled, reaching forward to pat Kallen on the head once more - not without tousling her pinkish red hair slightly, while shooting her a wink. "Good job, and good luck getting sorted into Gryffindor!"

"Do I really have to fight a mountain troll to prove myself?" Kallen asked, over the commotion in their tiny dining room.

"Of course not, they're just kidding you."

Standing with the sharp scrapping of his chair's legs against the floor, Edward finally escaped from their mother's hugs, and made to run upstairs. "This good news- I must tell Reila about it!"

This exclamation took everyone in the room by surprise - again.

"Reila? _That_ Reila in fifth year, from Ravenclaw?"

"I told you he's been sending owls to his girlfriend- WAIT WHAT?"

"That doesn't sound right at all.."

As her brothers pushed and play-punched Edward all the way up to his room, Kallen sank back into her chair at the dining table, still clutching her letters from Hogwarts to her chest. She was accepted into Hogwarts.. Excitement still apparent in her flushed cheeks, Kallen leaped off her chair and launched herself into her room. Now she was relieved - mountain trolls or not, Hogwarts here she come!


End file.
